Mixer for gaseous or vaporized materials



March 27, 1951 G. T. MACBETH 2,546,515

MIXER FOR GASEOUS OR VAPORIZED MATERIALS Filed Jan. 29, 1947 QYQ mm Him/m INVEN TOR.

HIS ATTOR NS).

Patented Mar. 27, 1951 MIXER FOR GASEOUS OR VAPORIZED MATERIALS George T. Macbeth, Bronxville, N. Y.

Application January 29, 1947, Serial No. 724,967

8 Claims.

This invention relates to mixing devices for gaseous materials, and has for its object to provide a device inducing more perfect mixing of such materials, and this application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application for Mixing Grid for Gaseous and Vaporized Fuels, filed July 28, 1944, Serial No. 547,063, now abandoned.

My invention particularly relates to fuel gas mixtures, and mainly aims to improve the combustion characteristics of internal combustion engines, particularly of motor cars, and to provide for more complete atomization of the gasoline, oil, or other fuel, to prevent a stratification of its mixture with the air, to create a more intimate mixture, to create a smoother operation of the engine, avoid many of the drawbacks and disturbing factors now present, and to derive more power from the same engine.

My invention aims to provide a grid in the intake of the engine or motor and cause a more perfect mixture by said grid, and particularly by a whirling motion of the mixture passing through my grid.

Other objects of my invention will be apparent as the specification of the same proceeds, and, among others, I may mention: to provide a device as characterized hereinbefore which will be simple in construction, easy to manufacture and install, inexpensive, and which may be added to existing engines and motors with very little effort and change.

I may remark that, as it will be obvious, my invention may be employed to any device wherein gaseous or vaporized fuels are to be burned.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification and accompanying the same:

7 Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a gaseous or vaporized fuel intake line into which my invention has been installed;

Fig. 2 is another sectional view thereof, the section being taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are an elevational and a plan view, respectively, of a strip of corrugated material used as an element in my grid, and,

v Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View of several such strips of material placed in the position in which they are used in my grid, the figure being on a much larger scale than the other figures.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail by characters of reference, the numeral it indicates a conduit for a gaseeus or vaporized material, in general, and in the embodiment of Fig. 1, it being the intake of an internal combustion engine, particularly of that of an automobile. As

shown, the section thereof indicated is formed of a pipe I I leading the fuel air mixture from a carburetor or like device, and a second pipe I2 which conducts the mixture into the intake manifold of the engine.

As usual, pipe II has a flange Ila and pipe I2 a corresponding flange I2a, and the two pipes are secured together through such flanges and by the bolts I3.

In the preferred form of my invention I insert a tubular shell I4 into the intake line, being open at the top as at I5, and at the bottom as at I6.

An outwardly turned flange I1 is provided at the upper end of the shell I4, said flange to be used to secure the shell in the pipe line by suspending the same therein on said flange, and for this purpose, a counter-sunk recess I8 is provided in the flange IZa of the pipe I2, and the flange I! of the shell I4 will be secured between the two flanges Ila and I2a, as shown, when the pipes are connected.

It also will be obvious that this shell and my mixing device carried by it, as will be described presently, may in the manner indicated, very conveniently be added to any existing intake conduits of internal combustion engines, and particularly of automobiles.

At the bottom of the shell I4 I rovide an inwardly turned flange I9, and I place on said bottom flange I9 a plurality of corrugated or crimped but otherwise straight line strips of material 20. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, said strips 20 are made of thin sheet material, of heat resisting character when the same is needed, preferably metal, and the same will show crimps 0r corrugations 2I and 22 in both directions from its original plane, having the common sides 23 and the respective peaks 2 la and 2211.

It is also to be noted that the crimps or corrugations 2| and 22 are not placed axially across the strip 20 but in an inclined manner, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 the top part of the corrugations being inclined to the right with reference to the bottom thereof.

In my device the individual strips 20 preferably will have entirely identical thicknesses of material, and have the samesize and shape corrugations and they will be placed closely set in registering relation to one another, that is, nesting, as indicated in Fig. 2.

A predetermined number of individual strips 20 will be used and they will be cut to various predetermined lengths so as to substantially fill the bottom opening I6 of the shell I4 when the strips are nestingly placed side by side to one an other, their ends touching or being adjacent to the wall of the shell.

As indicated on the larger view of Fig. 5, the nesting strips 20 will leave only small arcuate shaped spaces 24 between their respective peaks and when the whole opening of the conduit is filled with such nestingly placed corrugated strips 20, then the only passage for the gaseous mixture will be provided by the arcuate space 2 In the figures of my device one such set of grids is shown at the bottom of the shell I4, as generally indicated by the numeral 25, and it may be sufficient, but in the embodiment shown in Figure 1, four such grids are used, being respectively indicated by the numerals 25, 25a, 25b, and 250.

I prefer to separate the individual grids and place them in a spaced apart manner, and for such placing and also for securing them in their positions, I employ resilient wire rings 26, which in this embodiment are shown as being loose, their ends overlapping, so that their elasticity will press against the shell 14 and keep them in their position and also prevent the moving of the respective grids.

Of course, any other appropriate means may be employed, like the wire 26 may be welded or other- Wise permanently secured on the shell l4.

Also, instead of the inwardly turned bottom flange 19, a similar wire may be welded or otherwise secured at the bottom of an otherwise plain cylindrical open shell or casing.

It also will be seen that I employ perforations 21 in the flange l9 so as to provide added passage openings for the gas mixture I also preferably place the strips in the adjacent grids in different directions, that is, they will be at an angle to one another in the adjacent grids.

In Fig. 1 the arrow 28 indicates the direction in which the gas air mixture arrives from the carburetor, and the arrow 29 indicates the direction of the same when leaving my mixin device. This, however, is only a general direction of leaving the same, since the various sub-dividing of the gas air stream into very fine individual streams which several times change their direction will cause a strong mixing of it, and, when finally the mixture passes through the lowermost grid 25, it will leave the same according to the inclinations of the corrugations in the respective strips 20. In the lowermost grid 25 the specific strip 26a shown in Fig. 1, will eject the mixture in the direction as shown in arrow 30, and it will be seen that the mixture will hit the wall of the pipe l2 at such an agle and on account of the curvature of the same, the stream will continue in a whirling eddying motion. The composite result of innumerable such streams striking the rounded surface of the conduit will cause a most perfect mixture through numerous whirls and eddys, and, finally, the suction of the engine will cause a single direction of movement of the mixture, as indicated by the arrow 29.

The grids described naturally will restrict the free passage through the pipe Ill, and either such pipe should be made so large that the remaining passages in the grid will be sufficient for the normal or even for the maximum movement of gas air mixture, or the pipes i i and !2, before my mixing device, at the place of the same, and even a little further below it, should be made larger than the rest of the pipes. In an existing engine, like in the intake of an automobile, the simplest way of arranging such an enlargement would be to remove a portion inside the two pipes 4 at their joint and then place the shell l4 fitting into the enlarged diameter.

As has been mentioned, my invention is applicable to any case where gaseous or vaporized materials are to be intimately mixed. I particularly aim to use it in case of vaporized fuel, like gasoline and air mixtures in a motor car.

My experience has been that my invention may be called a fuel super economizer, and, as also has been mentioned, its purpose is to create and realize a more efficient power production of gasoline or other fuel, by a more complete atomizing of fuel, preventing Stratification, creating a more uniform mixture, giving a quicker ignition, faster and hotter burning of explosive mixture with air, for use in an internal combustion engine or motor for power, or also for thoroughly mixing fuel with air to be used for other purposes.

It also has been my experience that my invention has a great many desirable results and advantages in present gaseous fuel combustion devices, particularly internal combustion engines for motor vehicles.

My device attains the following objects:

It saves gasoline or fuel, by creating a more complete combustible and quicker burning mixture of fuel, in presence of air.

It performs perfectly on all loads on motor or engine up to their capacities and down to all speeds of the design.

It causes more complete combustion in motor cylinders, with the result that less carbon deposit is created in cylinders of motors in good repair; and in such cases any carbon deposit will be too small to cause motor trouble.

It allows a poorer grade of gasoline or fuel to be used; such as, gasoline, without lead mixtures, secures good fuel results, knocks are eliminated on internally clean internal combustion engines and motors. This lack of knock is especially noticeable in an automobile when the motor is operating at slower speeds and under heaviest loads, such as are encountered when climbing hills.

The grid of my invention also acts as a backfire stop, so that a motor cannot backfire to the carburetor, and so m device protects the carburetor.

It causes the motor of an automobile to operate more smoothly and with less vibration.

I may also mention that when appropriately placed, my device will be heated by the motor exhaust or by other means and will transmit a certain heat to the mixture, which also has many advantages.

When my invention is installed for an internal combustion engine or for the motor of an automobile, the carburetor may need some adjustment for smoother operation, giving it more air than was the case before. However, this additional air in the carburetor will not cause stops or stalling of the motor or any other trouble, indeed, it will cause a more perfect combustion and increase in the power developed by the engine or motor.

It will be seen that my invention may be easily and quickly installed into any engine or motor provided flange unions are available in th inlet connection between the carburetor and the motor block, which usually is the case, and a separate grid may be used for the inlet for each cylinder or one for the whole group of cylinders, as desired, or as it will appear to be best.

My device is so simple that it cannot get out of order, indeed, no adjustment or repair except a very little occasional cleaning with compressed air, is needed, which may be done at the same time when the carburetor inlet dust collector used in such cases is cleaned.

My experience has been that a slight increase of the combustion heat inside of the motor may result, but this will lead to a more perfect combustion and cause no trouble, as it will be cornpensated by the automatic control of the cooling system. Without any extra adjustment, the motor temperature indicated on the dashboard of an automobile, will be the same before and after the installation of my invention.

The width of the metal strips 20, and the heights and widths of the crimps 2i and 22 may be made according to the case, smaller or larger, as Well as the distance between the crimps.

What I claim as new, and want to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a mixing device for a conduit of gaseous mixtures, the combination, a grid formed of a plurality of strips of material set edgewise across said conduit and covering the full cross sectional area thereof, each strip having a plurality of identical corrugations through the width thereof each corrugation having oppositely inclined sides and rounded peaks at both ends, the corrugations in each strip being identical to those in the others, said strips being set in close nesting relation so that the sides of the corrugations rest against each other and the peaks are spaced, whereby only a plurality of minute arcuate spaces will be left in the grid for the gaseous mixture to pass through at the peaks of the corrugations.

2. In a device as set forth in claim 1, a plurality of grids, one set to the rear of the other, and a substantially thin annular element set closely to the wall of the conduit between each grid to space said grids apart.

3. In a device as set forth in claim 2, said annular element being formed of a piece of wire.

4. In a device as set forth in claim 2, said conduit being circular in cross section and the corrugations in the various grids being inclined with reference to the centerline of the conduit, said inclination being different in the individual grids.

5. In a device as set forth in claim 2, a shell closel fitting into said conduit to house and carry said grids, said shell having an outwardly turned flange at its upper end whereby to suspend the same on the Wall of the conduit, and an inwardly turned flange at its lower end to support the grids thereon.

6. A mixing device for the intake conduit of an internal combustion engine, comprising a shell closely fitting to the wall of said conduit, an outwardly turned flange at the upper end of said shell whereby to suspend the same on the wall of said conduit, an inwardly turned flange at the lower end of the shell, and a plurality of grids set on said lower flange, one above the other, each grid being composed of a plurality of closely set corrugated strips of material, covering the whole sectional area of the shell.

7. In a device as set forth in claim 6, a substantially thin annular element between each grid, said element closely set to the Wall of the shell.

8. In a device as set forth in claim 7, said con-. duit being circular in cross section, and the portion thereof housing said shell being of larger diameter than the rest of it, and the corrugations in the individual grids being differently inclined to the centerline of the conduit.

GEORGE T. MACBETH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,118,237 Saint Cyr Nov. 24, 1914 1,128,470 MacDonald Feb. 16, 1915 1,490,919 Godward Apr. 22, 1924 1,490,920 Godward Apr. 22, 1924 1,869,262 Kennedy July 26, 1932 2,257,047 Finestone Sept. 23, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 263,252 Great Britain Dec. 20, 1926 408,963 Great Britain Apr. 18, 1934 580,606 Germany July 13, 1933 

